Game device



y 1935- c. J. ROTHEN 2,001,500

GAME DEVICE Filed Oct. 9, 1934 INVENTOR 67 44 945: POTfi/fi/I/ WITNESS: W

n ATTORNEYS Patented May 14, 1935 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in game devices, and more particularly to a pinochle game device.

The primary object of the invention resides in a mechanical game device in which the scoring during the play is determined by the meld values used in the card game of pinochle, thus making the game exceptionally interesting to those players familiar with the game of pinochle, and serving to familiarize others in the melding counts thereof.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a game device including a game board having a rotatable spinner arranged centrally thereof for propelling play balls over the game board by centrifugal action, there being two annular series of openings arranged concentric to the axis of said spinner and identified by pinochle card values, p

Another feature of the invention includes the arrangement of the annular series of score values in groups of the four card suits so that a player may have a reasonable chance of selectively scoring in a particular trump suit by the skill required in the manual manipulation of the spinner to release a ball in the general direction of that trump suit.

A further feature offthe invention embodies the use of a rotary spinner in association with game boards in which balls are to be propelled thereover during play, the said spinner including a rotatable platform having a spiral guideway thereon whereby a ball placed in the innermost convolution of the spiral guideway and offset relative to the axis of rotation of said platform, may be projected outwardly of the platform by centrifugal force and released onto the game board, the ball picking up momentum or speed i as it moves outward from the innermost convolution as it is carried to the limits of the playing wheel. V

A still further object is. to provide a game device Which is simple and inexpensive of construc tion, interesting to the competing players, and one in which any number of players may participate.

With these and other objectsi'n view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my pin'ochle game .device.

Figure 2 isan enlarged detail vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of several of the play balls. 7

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral l E5 designates a circular shaped game board, the under side of which is braced by radially extending ribs or cleats H, and the board-supported by relatively short feet l2. Secured to the game board it and rising centrally therefrom is a'pin 13, the same being formed with an integral flange it which fits flat against the top of the game board,.and a downwardly extending threaded stud I5 which passes through the game board and receives a nut it, there be- 5 ing a washer ll interposed between the nut and the under side of the game board.

Extending about the periphery of the game board and rising above the plane thereof, is an annular confining wall i8 and the top playing surface of the game board inclinesoutwardly toward the annular wall 58 to prevent the accumulation of the play balls within the play area of the board as all play balls will roll by gravity toward the confining wall is. p

The game board I!) is provided with two annular series of openings or recesses I 9 and 20 disposed adjacent the annular wall 18, there being twenty four of such openings in each series and the openings of each series are in radial aline- ,ment with the respective openings of the other series. The inner seriesof openings are arranged centrally of card indicia 2i printed or otherwise provided on the top face of the game board. In the card game of pinochle, there are twenty four different cards and two cards of each suit value J making forty-eight cards to the playing deck. Thus, by having the two series of openings in respective radial alinement, each card value is associated with two openings, one opening of the series l9 and one opening of the series 20.

By reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, it will be noted that the card values of different suits, namely spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds, are arrangedin segmental groups and in their sequential values, such as ace, ten, king, queen, jack, and nine. This grouping arrangement is preferable rather than mixing the suit values as will be apparent from the expla'nationtofollow.

Associated with the game board In for use during play of the game is a single trump ball or marble 22 which has been shown as black in color and eleven other play balls 23 of a distinguishing color from the trump ball 22, and which are shown in the drawingas being red. These spinner 24 includes a disk orplatform 25 having a central opening 26 through which the lower end of a bearing sleeve 21 passes, the said sleeve being embedded or fixedly secured to a manipulating knob 28 which fits down against the top of the disk 25. The lower end 01 the sleeve 21 is externally screw threaded and receives a clamping nut 29 which when tightened clamps the manipu- .lating knob 28 and the disk 25 together. The

bearing sleeve 21 freely telescopes the pin-ll3 and the lower end of the sleeve rests upon the flange I4, thus the spinner 24 is rotatably Supported upon the centrally located pin I3.

I Rising upwardly from the top of the disk 25 is a spiral wall 30 which includes several convolutions which are evenly spaced and of suiiicient distance apart to provide a free spiral passage 3| for the playballs 22 and 23. The innermost convolution terminates at the knob 28 toiclosethe inner end of the spiral passage 3|, while the outer' end of the spiral passage is open, torelease balls therefrom. The spiral wall 30' may be formed by various methods, but in the drawing, the top of the disk 25 is provided with a spiral groove 32 in which the lower edge of the spiral wall frictionally fits. From the construction of the rotary spinner 24, it will be seen that by placing one of the play balls at the inner end of the spiral passage3'l, and by imparting'a-manual clock wise rotation to the knob 28, that the ball will move along the passage 3i by the centrifugal force imparted'thereto and will gradually pick up speed or momentumas it nears the outer open discharge end of the spiral passage, from where it is released onto the game board for'intended seating in oneof the openings I9 and 20. By arrangingthe card indicia in groups of the four suits, the player may by skill in the manipulation of the knob 28, cause the discharge of the ball toward any selected suit group with the idea of scoring in that suit, which is' desirous especially in thetrump suit wherein the scoring is higher than 'in the others as'will be explained hereinafter.

The scoring is similar to that used in determining the melding score in the card game offpi- 'nochle, and is as follows: i l

Pinochlel queen of spades and 1 jack of diamonds, 40.

Double pinochle 2 queens of spades and 2 jacks of diamonds, 300.

Eight'kings, 800.

Eight queens, 600.

Eight aces, 1000.

Eight jacks, 400. Four jacks, 40.

Four queens, 60.

Fourkings, 80.

Four aces, 100. r r Common marriage (K or Q of any plan suit),

Royal marriage (K or Q of trump suit) ,-40.

Royal sequence (A. K. Q. J. 10 of trumps), 150.

Dix (9 of trumps), 10.

Round trip (4 kings and 4 queens of similar suits), 240.

In the playing of the game, each participating player is given the full quota of the twelve balls used in the playing ofthe game. The player then-places the black'trump'ball 22 within the Patent of the United States, is:-

innermost convolution of the rotary spinner and proceeds to impart rotation to the spinner by means of the manipulating knob 28. The centrifugal force set up during the rotation of the spinner causes the ball to move outwardly of the spiral passage 3| and is released at the open end of the spiral passage and is projected onto I the playing surface of the game board 10. In Figure 1 of the drawing, the black trump ball 22 is shown seated in one. of the openings identifled by the ace of diamonds, which indicates that diamonds are trumps. In View ofthe high value scored by making a sequence, that is, ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the trump suit, the player successively places the other eleven red balls on the spinner and proceeds to play them individually. Byimparting a certain force to the manipulating knob, the spinner'may be controlled so as :to direct the balls in the general direction of the diamond trump group. After a player has completed his turn by discharging twelve of the balls from the spinner, his score is counted up, the above schedule determining the amount of the score. The next player proceeds to try his skill by a similar method of play, and it will be appreciated that any. number of players may participate in the playing of a game, each taking 7 his turn in order. Before startinga game, the players may decide upon the amount of the score to constitute a game, or they may control'the length of play by the number of individualactuations of the spinner. 7

It might be mentioned that there are two openings associated with each card value, and a ball entering eitheris eligible for counting in figuring the score. Also the trump ball 22 is used in figuring out the countw'Of course it will be understood that any balls not entering an opening are considered dead and have no bearing upon the total score.

While I have shown the layout of the card values for the playing of the game of pinochle, it will be understood that the fifty-two card values of a deck of playing cards may be substituted for the pinochle values herein shown,

and the playing of the game determined by the values used in the card game of poker.

While I have shown and described what I deem I-Iaving thus described .the invention, what I A claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 1. In a pinochlegame device, a game board, the top of which constitutes a playing area, an

upstanding wall extending about said game board, an annular series of openings or recesses provided in the playing area identified by differ ent playing card value indicia identical to that of the respective cards of a set of pinochle playing cards, a rotary ball projector mounted centrally of said game board, and a set of play balls adapted to be individually propelled over the playing area by said. rotary ball projector, one

of said set of play balls being distinguishable from the other and adapted to be placed upon said rotary projector before the others and projected therefrom over said play area to enter any of said openings to determine the trump suit during the succeeding individual projection of the other play balls.

2. In a pinochle game device, agame board having two concentric circular series of ball receiving recesses thereon, the respective recesses of each series being in radial alinement, pinochle card values associated with the recesses, like card values being common to the radially alined recesses, an upstanding wall extending around said game board, a set of play balls, and a rotary projector mounted upon said game board centrally with respect to the circular series of recesses into which the play balls are individually placed and projected onto said game board for the intended purpose of entering any one of said recesses, the score at the end of the play of the set of play balls determined by the pinochle meld values of any balls seated in said recesses.

3. In a. pinochle game device, a game board having two annular series of ball receiving recesses therein, pinochle card values associated with said recesses, like card values beingcom mon to two adjacent recesses of the respective series of recesses, a confining wall extending aroundsaid game board, a set of play balls, and a rotatable ball projector mounted upon said game board centrally thereof with respect to the annular series of recesses into which the play balls are placed and projected onto said game board for the intended purpose of entering any one of said recesses, the score at the end of the play of the set of play balls determined by the pinochle meld values of any balls entering said recesses.

CHARLES J. ROTHEN. 

